San Francisco Frontiers - Blinken proposes UN role, Palestinian state path in Gaza

With talks in Qatar nearing a ceasefire in the devastating 15-month war, Blinken laid out his long-awaited roadmap for post-war Gaza after a defeat of Hamas -- with days left before he leaves office.

Blinken acknowledged the misgivings of Israel -- where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a far-right government and expects even stronger US support under President-elect Donald Trump -- but pleaded for a new approach.

"We've long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone," Blinken said at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.

"Without a clear alternative, a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas -- or something just as abhorrent and dangerous -- will grow back," he said.

In line with his calls since the start of the war, Blinken said that Gaza should be under the control of the Palestinian Authority -- which now holds shaky, partial control of the West Bank and has been repeatedly undermined by Israel.

Acknowledging the limitations of the Palestinian Authority, Blinken said an unstated number of countries have offered to send troops and police to post-war Gaza.

He said that the "interim security mission" would include both foreign forces and "vetted Palestinian personnel."

"We believe that the Palestinian Authority should invite international partners to help establish and run an interim administration with responsibility for key civil sectors in Gaza, like banking, water, energy, health," Blinken said.

The Palestinian Authority would coordinate with Israel and the rest of the international community, which would be asked to provide funding.

A senior UN official would oversee the effort, which would be enshrined by a UN Security Council resolution, Blinken said.

"The interim administration would include Palestinians from Gaza and representatives from the PA selected following meaningful consultation with communities in Gaza," Blinken said.

The interim authority "would hand over a complete responsibility to a fully reformed PA administration as soon as it's feasible," he said.

- Longer-term -

The post-war deal would take shape in negotiations after an initial ceasefire, which both Blinken and President Joe Biden said was on the "brink" of acceptance.

Trump has backed efforts to end the war but is also expected to ally himself firmly with Israel, to which Biden authorized billions in weapons but occasionally criticized over civilian deaths.

Netanyahu has long fought the idea of a Palestinian state, and his allies have described the renewed push for statehood as a reward for the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest in Israel's history.

Blinken rejected the argument, saying: "Far from rewarding Hamas, accepting a political horizon would be the ultimate rebuke to its nihilistic agenda of death and destruction."

Blinken, who was repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, also criticized Israel over actions during the conflict.

"Israel's government has systematically undermined the capacity and legitimacy of the only viable alternative to Hamas, the Palestinian Authority."

Blinken said he still hoped that a normalization accord between Israel and Saudi Arabia -- which he negotiated but did not complete -- would encourage moderation.

"The prospect of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia represents the best opportunity to achieve the long-sought goal of Israel's greater integration in the region, and it's also the best incentive to get the parties to make tough decisions necessary to fully realize the aspirations both of Israelis and Palestinians," he said.

Hamas's October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 46,645 people, a majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures that the UN considers reliable.

U.Campbell--SFF